The BAZAAR Commandments: How To Get Thicker Hair

When it comes to hair goals, there's one that every woman has: gorgeous, healthy-looking hair that has volume and moves with you. Here, pros weigh in on how to build body and make every hair type appear fuller and thicker.

The mane rule: always ask for subtle layers to make sure your hair isn't all one length and strands don't just lay stacked on top of each other. "You want to create the illusion that the hair is supporting itself by removing some weight," says Mancuso.

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3Choose the right body-boosting brush.

Skip metal brushes, which are too harsh for fine hair, says Jennifer Yepez, a hair stylist in New York City. "You want a brush that gently grabs a lot of hair and allows you to control the style you want to achieve," says Mancuso, who swears by the Ibiza EX3 round brush. "The round shape creates a subtle bend at both your roots and ends, which makes hair appear fuller."

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4Plump strands inside and out.

Scan the label for ingredients such as humectants like panthenol or glycerin, each proven to attract water and therefore help expand the size of strands. "They have the ability to penetrate deep into each hair fiber and create a noticeable difference in flexibility and movement," says Mancuso. (Try Nexxus New York Salon Care Diametress Conditioning Crème.)

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5Feed your hair.

"Over 90 percent of hair is in the growth phase at any given time, so proper nutrition is essential to take in key nutrients needed for healthy hair growth," explains Melina B. Jampolis, MD, a physician and nutrition specialist in NYC. The nutrients needed for naturally thick hair: protein, vitamin C, biotin, vitamin B12, zinc as well as fatty acids.

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6Focus on building volume all over—not just at roots.

Try this 360-approach to body-building from Lona Vigi, a Nexxus New York Salon Care Celebrity Stylist: "For my A-list clients, I spray roots with a light mist of a volumizer from twelve inches away, plus lift small sections of hair to hit the length, too," she says. "Then I take a comb and run it through hair before blow-drying." Our picks: Nexxus New York Salon Care Hydra-Light Root Lift Mist and Kenra Root Lifting Spray.

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7Lift hair as you blow-dry.

"Direct small sections of hair up as you blow-dry," says Vigi. The result: natural bend right at the root. If you prefer more of a bombshell blowout, after rough-drying, spray Nexxus New York Salon Care Diametress Lavish Body Gel Spray or Bb. Thickening Spray on the length of hair. "It's going to give you a denser, thicker base that will help hair hold a shape and style better," explains Mancuso.

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8Try a chic ponytail.

"To make thin hair look fuller, I spray dry shampoo directly at roots and throughout strands, then pull hair into a high ponytail," says Vigi. "This creates the appearance of fullness at the crown and throughout the length of the ponytail."

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9Use dry shampoo.

The tiny powder particles coat strands and help to remove excess oil buildup, giving hair the appearance of being freshly washed (aka full and bouncy). Flip your head upside down, spray roots and the length of hair, while gently shaking your hair side to side, suggests Vigi, who swears by the super light mist of Nexxus New York Salon Care Dry Shampoo Refreshing Mist to achieve insta-volume between shampoos.

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